Tweeting With The Stars (The Real Ones)

Although the title of this article may sound like the title of some cheesy new over-hyped reality TV show, it’s actually about some interesting news from Twitter.com. After being hit with a lawsuit from St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa over an individual impersonating him on the site, Twitter took steps to launch a verified accounts beta program to ensure that no other celebrity suits of this nature will arise. It is a move that should benefit both public figures, and the people looking to connect with them.

Over the course of Twitter’s short lifespan, many celebrities have complained about impostors on the site. Two of the most outspoken were Kanye West and Shaquille O’Neal. While Kanye chose to go his usual route and rant publicly, Shaq decided to use the media to announce his official Twitter account, which took the wind out of the sails of the fake Shaqs.

One of the celebrities who has had the worst ordeal as far as Twitter impostors is Mr. Reading Rainbow himself, LeVar Burton. Burton blogged about the process of getting his faker kicked to the curb. Of all people to impersonate, why this man? It just shows that some individuals are heartless. Think about it: Kunta Kinte was snatched from his homeland, stripped of his name, beaten mercilessly and had his foot cut off. Amazingly, he somehow traveled through time and got a job on the Enterprise, only to have them stick a silver banana clip to his face. On top of ALL OF THIS, someone had the nerve to steal the man’s identity on Twitter! No wonder LeVar was so upset.

Although this new verification thing is good, hopefully, it will not begin targeting the admittedly fake accounts of public figures created for humorous purposes. There is enough room for folks like Darth Vader and the fake account of DC Mayor Adrian Fenty to remain, as long as they are clear that it’s satire. Personally, I follow these type of accounts until they no longer amuse me. Come to think of it, while cleaning my account, I actually unfollowed both God and LeVar Burton on the very same day! No offense to Levar, or to my Lord and Savior if he actually is somewhere Tweeting from on high.

About the Author
Leon Scott is writer, comedian, web designer, visual artist and aspiring filmmaker based out of Washington, DC. In essence, Leon is a geek of all trades. Leon maintains his own hilarious comedy blog, ListenToLeon.net, and is a contributor on a number of other sites. Follow @ListenToLeon on Twitter. It will make you smile :)
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